


Boys Can't Dance

by Dont_Stop_Larry



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Dancer AU, First Kiss, M/M, Sorry Not Sorry, again not sorry, harry is so good, im aware that this isn't how recruiting works but i did it this way for the sake of the fic, nutcracker is my favorite ballet, this is pure tooth rotting fluff, yay i'm done with tags now
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-12
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2019-02-14 01:00:17
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,527
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12996402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dont_Stop_Larry/pseuds/Dont_Stop_Larry
Summary: A dancer AU where little Harry decides he doesn't have to listen to anything little Louis says, and becomes one of the best dancers in Holmes Chapel.





	Boys Can't Dance

**Author's Note:**

> Ok, so a few things:
> 
> I wrote this two years ago on Wattpad and it sucked. It was my first time writing in third person and it was just really bad. I fixed a lot of the mistakes, but left it mostly in the condition it was before, so that you (and I) could see the growth in my writing. 
> 
> I loved the concept for this, and I wish I had time to make it a really long fic, but I've got exams and I'm doing another Christmas one shot as we speak. I'm going to do one every year, it's become a tradition for me.
> 
> Don't judge me too harshly, I love this fic and I love you guys and I hope you enjoy a bit of dancing, holiday fluff. 
> 
> Lots of Love,
> 
> L xx

 

            “Alright, everyone, great rehearsal! We're way ahead of where we need to be, so as a treat, we can cancel rehearsal for tomorrow! Get some well needed rest and I'll see you all on Monday for our first blocking rehearsal.” The instructor's voice sounded across the stage and there was rustling as everyone stood up to head upstairs. Harry stood and stretched, his shirt riding up to show a bit of his tummy.

            “Hazzy, what's that?” One of the little children came over and poked at the sliver of stomach showing, causing Harry to curl in on himself and laugh.

            “They are tattoos, Ellie. See?” Harry proceeded to lift his shirt up to expose his stomach, his abs covered in a thin layer of sweat from all the dancing. The laurels shone dark against his pale skin, and Ellie ran her fingers over them in awe. Harry laughed again and patted her head, sending her off to her mother. The smaller boys were all running around with some of the toy swords hidden backstage, and Harry quickly collected them, placing them in the back and grabbing his bag. There was only one person left in the dressing room ... Lottie. She was one of the newer dancers and was only a background dancer in the party scene, but she was sweet and tried really hard, and Harry really liked her.

            Lottie looked up from her bags and caught Harry's eye, blushing slightly. Harry sighed and pulled on skinny jeans and a jacket over his tights and t-shirt. He was used to all the teenage girls looking at him like that, but that didn't make him any more comfortable with it. He nodded to her and walked down the stairs on the side of the stage, pulling out his phone to check if he had any messages. His sister was supposed to be coming home soon, and he had to pick her up from the airport.

            “Harry, wait!”

            Harry turned to see Lottie running to catch up with him, her skirt flying and her bag falling off her shoulder. Her cheeks were still tinged pink.

            “I ... I wanted to ask you if you could help me with a certain part of the dance ... I just can't seem to get it and Anna told me I should ask you,” she said breathlessly, and Harry smiled, continuing to walk out with Lottie by his side.

            Harry had been dancing with the Holmes Chapel Ballet Company since he was five years old. Anna basically considered him a second instructor, since he knew every dance in every performance ever, especially in their winter show, _The Nutcracker_. He knew the show back to front, upside down and right side up, so _of course_ Anna had told Lottie to ask him; he knew it almost better than Anna herself.

            “Yeah, sure. When would you like to meet?” He asked kindly, holding open the door for her, and she looked up at him.

            “Umm ... maybe Monday before rehearsal ... if that's okay with you?” She asked shyly, keeping her eyes trained on the floor.

            “Yeah, that should be just fine. Let's say we meet here at … four? Rehearsal starts at five, so we should have plenty of time to work out anything you have issues with.”

            “Okay ... thanks, Harry. I should go ... my brother is waiting for me ...” Lottie pointed over towards the door and Harry looked up. He froze, his entire body refusing to respond as he caught sight of a boy standing off to the side of the door. Perfect caramel hair swept across his forehead in a messy fringe and his hands were tucked deep into the pockets of his black skinny jeans, his ankles peeking out despite the cold outside. When he looked up from his phone, his bright blue eyes burned holes into Harry's. He was...

 

***

 

            “Beautiful, Mummy! Can I do it too?” Harry asked his mother, tugging on her thin skirt as he followed her into the studio.

            “Soon, Harry. You have to be five to start dancing, and you're only four. Few more months and we can sign you up, okay, love?”

            Harry nodded and bit his lip as he entered the room with his mother, hiding behind her legs in sudden shyness. Beautiful ladies, all in different colored leotards, were standing around the room, stretching and making small talk. Harry followed his mum to the corner of the room, where she put down her bag and her purse, kissing the top of Harry's curly head before going over to one of the women she always talked to ... Jay, Harry thought her name was. Jay was speaking on her phone, holding the hand of a boy that looked a few years older than Harry himself. He remembered his mum talking about Jay and how she had a son as well, but he had never met him. Jay greeted his mum cheerfully and then knelt down to whisper into her son's ear. The boy shook his head, but Jay nodded encouragingly, and before Harry knew what was happening, the boy was walking over to him.

            “Hi ... m'Louis,” the boy said, holding out his hand and looking all ... older and stuff. Harry may have been only four, but he knew what a handshake was, and took Louis' hand in his, giving it a firm shake.

            “M'Harry,” He mumbled. He couldn't stop staring at Louis' eyes ... they were so blue.

            “So ...” Louis drew the word out, as though unsure what to say, and Harry grinned, trying to make the best of the slightly awkward silence.

            “I like your eyes ... they're pretty,” Harry said, not being at all afraid to tell Louis the truth. He was a pretty honest kid, always said what was on his mind. Louis' cheeks colored, and he reached out to tug on one of Harry's curls.

            “And I like your hair. It's so curly.” Louis continued to pull on Harry's curls, watching them bounce back, and Harry giggled. Harry sat down, patting the ground next to him, and Louis shrugged, settling next to the curly-haired boy. They had small conversations, kind of like the adults standing around the room, until the instructor came in, and then they fell silent. The music started and everyone in the room pulled out the bars onto the floor, starting to stretch and do warm-ups. The instructor walked around the room, offering tips but still looking stern.

            “She's scary,” Harry whispered to Louis, and Louis chuckled, curling one of Harry's curls around his finger absently.

            “Nah, she just likes to have rules. I don't think she's so bad. We had better be quiet, they’re starting class.”

            They didn't speak for a bit, just casually watching the men and women go through a series of moves and stretches. Then they moved the bars out of the way and began to start placing their feet in different positions. Harry knew those ... there were five of them. He stood up and started doing them with the class, trying hard to make his feet go in the correct directions. He then bent his legs with them and moved his arms gracefully, just following what he saw.

            “Harry, what are you doing?” Louis hissed, pulling Harry back down to sit on the floor. Harry looked over at Louis curiously.

            “What?”

            “Boys don't dance!” Louis said through his teeth, trying to be as quiet as possible so as not to attract the attention of the instructor. Harry frowned. He had never been told by anyone that he couldn't enjoy dancing. What did it matter if he was a boy?

            “Yes, I can! Look, there are boys out there right now. Besides, what's wrong with dancing?” Harry asked, not understanding why Louis would say such a thing.

            “But ... dancing is for girls ...” Louis mumbled, averting his eyes from the men out on the floor, who were currently talking to each other about foot position, or something to that extent.

            Harry and Louis didn't speak for the rest of the class, and when their mums began to walk over to them, Louis hurried away, not looking back. Harry felt sad. He thought he was making a new friend, but Louis was now looking at him like he was weird, and Harry didn't understand. He just wanted to dance ... but maybe he shouldn't.

            “Mummy ... is it bad that I want to dance?” Harry asked as his mum lead him out to the car. She turned and knelt down in front of him immediately, her brow creasing.

            “Of course not, Harry. You can be whoever and whatever you want to be. Don't ever let anyone tell you different, okay?”

            Harry nodded and his mum kissed his cheek, lifting him into the car. She climbed into the driver’s seat, but turned around before turning the car on and smiled at Harry.

            “You'll be a beautiful dancer someday, Harry.”

            Harry smiled, blowing a kiss to his mum as they drove away to their house.

 

            Harry saw Louis only a few more times after their original meeting, and he began to show up more scarcely after Harry started dancing himself. He was only five and easily the youngest member, but he had talent and passion, more so than half of the people that danced there, and everyone loved him.

            Harry was always looking for Louis, though. He couldn't forget those blue eyes, no matter how hard he tried. The last time Harry saw Louis, he was cuddling his baby sister in his arms as his mum took class, and he never once looked at Harry. They never spoke again.

 

***

 

            All of this ran through Harry's head as he and Louis made eye contact, and Harry felt his cheeks growing hot when Louis didn't look away. Louis had gone from a mildly pretty boy to a fucking sex god, all curves and pretty eyes. Lottie was hurrying over to him, looking back at Harry and waving. Harry didn't move. How in the hell had he not figured out that Lottie was Louis' sister? He swallowed, trying to get ahold of himself, but it was hard. It had been years ... many years, since he had seen those eyes, and just as it had been when he was a boy, he couldn't make himself look away.

            Harry finally shook himself out of his stupor when Louis turned away to walk out with Lottie. Harry's whole face was bright red, he could feel it, but why he was having this reaction to seeing the mystery boy from his youth, he had no idea. Just then, Louis turned and gave him a nod, and he almost died right on the spot, nodding back a bit more quickly than he normally would have. As hard as he tried, he couldn't take his eyes from Louis' ass as he walked away.

            “Was that Louis Tomlinson?” a voice said from behind him, and he whirled around to see Anna standing behind him, looking out the glass door in interest. Harry didn't have to say anything, because Anna kept talking. “Always wondered what happened to him ... he had such potential. Would have been a good addition to the school.”

            “I'm not so sure ... pretty sure he thinks that boys aren't supposed to dance,” Harry answered in almost a whisper, his voice not quite working in the aftershock of seeing Louis.

            “Shame ... he would have done well. See you on Saturday, Styles.” Anna gave Harry a clap on the shoulder, or rather, the arm, since she couldn't exactly reach his shoulder, and she shut the door to her office. Harry stood there for a few more minutes, trying to calm down his racing heart, before he hurried to his car and drove home, not once taking his mind from Louis' beautiful blue eyes.

 

            “Mum, I'm telling you, it's like I completely lost control over myself ... I couldn't move, I couldn't speak ... what the hell is wrong with me?” Harry said in a panic to his mum. He had walked into the house in a complete frenzy, not sure why he was feeling light headed or why his heart was still pounding like a jackhammer. His mum had sat him down on the couch and brought him a mug of hot tea before sitting across from him with a mug of her own and asking what was bothering him.

            “Well, there isn't much I can say ... did he say anything to you?” Anne asked, her eyebrows raising in interest.

            “No ... but he did nod ... more than I expected from him, to be honest.” Harry answered, and Anne nodded thoughtfully.

            “I haven't seen Jay in a long time ... must be a couple years now ... last time I checked, she was pregnant with twins ... maybe I'll give her a ring.”

            Harry was about to protest - and he had no idea why, he just wasn't sure if he could handle seeing Louis again, since he wasn't even sure what had just happened - but Anne was already up and walking into the kitchen. Harry sighed and dragged his bag down the hall to the washing machine, pulling out three pairs of black tights and several white t-shirts, throwing them in the gentle cycle.

            God ... he hadn't really given thought to Louis Tomlinson in years. Louis Tomlinson had always been that 'what if' person in his life, one that was there, but not really there at all. Every so often, Harry would look around when he was in class, as though he expected him to be there, but he always shoved those thoughts away. He had been four, for fuck's sake, he didn't need to be thinking of Louis, not then, and most certainly not right now. He had work to do. They had a performance in a week and a half, and he couldn't be distracted by pretty blue eyes and caramel hair.

            He headed up to his room and pulled out his phone, flopping down on his bed and opening Twitter. He scrolled through the dancer accounts he followed, laughing at a random tweet from some of his school friends that were in the mix. He was just about to close his phone when he had a brilliant and horrible idea. He really shouldn't ... he couldn't do that ... it was stupid to even think about doing it ...

            He pulled up the search bar and typed in 'Louis Tomlinson'. It wasn't like he thought he would find the actual Louis Tomlinson on here, there had to be tons of people on Twitter with that name ... but to his surprise, the first person that popped up was definitely him. Same hair, same face, same striking blue eyes. His bio was short, only a few words mentioning his name and his age and what he was planning to do with his life. His header was one that made Harry smile; it was Louis surrounded by a gang of girls, all with similar looks to himself ... must be all of his sisters and his mum, of course. Harry scrolled down and skimmed his tweets. Most of them had to do with school, his family, or with footie. Harry had almost forgotten that he was on the school team, but that was beside the point.

            A new tweet came in as he reached the top of the page again, and he froze as he read the words over and over again, trying to make sure that he had seen correctly:

 

 **@Louis_Tomlinson:** Sometimes you think feelings are gone, but the moment a person enters your life again, the feelings come right back, stronger than before.

 

            Harry swallowed hard, his cheeks burning. There was no way that Louis was talking about him. Absolutely no way ... and why would he care if he was? It wasn't like he had a crush on Louis, or something stupid like that. No. Harry didn't ... he most definitely didn't ... did he?

            “Fucking hell, this is stupid.” Harry grumbled to himself, throwing his phone down on the bed and burying his face in a pillow. Maybe it was just a one-time thing. He hadn't seen Louis in years, after all, and in his defense, Louis had gotten much more attractive, Harry couldn't deny that in the slightest. Maybe it was just the shock of seeing him and it got to him ... he would be just fine. But what if he saw Louis again ... what then?

            He sighed, not wanting to think about Louis anymore, and wandered downstairs to help his mum with dinner.

 

            As it turned out, practice being canceled was a good thing, because Harry's mum needed a lot of help decorating the house for Christmas. Christmas was Harry's favorite time of the year ... everyone was always cheerful and bundled up and everything, and the lights just put him in a cheery mood. He helped his mum hang garland and put up the tree, but they were going to wait until Gemma was home to decorate the tree itself.

            Then came Harry's favorite part ... the baking. Aside from dancing, his favorite thing to do was bake, especially with his mother, who always made the best tasting and best-looking cookies.

            “Oh, Harry, we’re out of almost everything ... guess we baked too much for Thanksgiving. We’ll have to go out to the store.”

            “Not a big deal, Mum. I'll get the car, yeah?” Harry said cheerfully, grabbing the keys and his coat and heading out into the chill. Anne wrote a quick list of the things for him to buy before joining her son in the car, and they were off.

They headed to the grocery store first, gathering flour and sugar and all the big essentials before heading to the bakery. They walked in together and all the ladies behind the counter smiled and called greetings to Harry. Harry nodded and smiled in return – he had worked here for a few years before he really dedicated all of his time to dancing, but everyone still remembered him. He always seemed to have a good impression on people, or so his mum always said. As Anne looked in the windows, picking out what she wanted, the door tinkled again, and when Harry looked up, his heart jumped into his throat.

            Jay bustled through the door, followed by four girls and, bringing up the rear, Louis. As soon as Jay caught sight of Anne, she gave a shout and there was suddenly a lot of yelling and hugging coming from the girls. Lottie waved to Harry before joining in with the hugging, which just left Harry and Louis awkwardly standing in the middle of the small shop, avoiding each other's eyes. Harry bit his lip, wanting to say something but having no idea how to start. He settled for subtly checking Louis out. His hair was styled in a half quiff today, and his eyes looked very bright against his tan skin.

            “Hey, Harry.”

            Harry blinked several times. If he hadn't seen Louis' lips move, and if he hadn't had that voice memorized since he was five, he wouldn't have believed that Louis himself had said anything. He cleared his throat, trying to compose himself. He really needed to get a fucking grip.

            “Hi, Lou ... umm ... how are you?” Harry said, still biting his lip nervously. It was a bad habit, but he couldn't stop.

            “M'good ... really good. Just been ... you know, helping out with Christmas decorations and stuff, you?”

            “Been at practice most nights ... your sister’s a good dancer, by the way.”

            Louis just nodded at that. He didn't mention anything about the dancing thing, and Harry immediately felt a bit better about it. _Maybe the idea of male dancers has grown on him_ , Harry thought to himself.

            “You ... you haven't changed much, have you?” Louis continued, looking up at Harry for the first time, and Harry had to contain a gasp. Up close, Louis was even more beautiful. Harry just shook his head, and Louis kept talking, almost as if he was speaking to himself instead of to Harry. “Same big, green eyes, same dimples, same ... same curly hair.” He reached up - now that they were grown, Louis was a good three inches shorter than Harry - and pulled at one of his curls, watching it bounce back, just like he had done the first day they’d met. Harry's face flushed bright red, but he didn't ask Louis to stop. Something weird was happening inside of him, something that he’d only had an inkling of before, and he wasn't sure how to handle it.

            “Got tall, though. You're making me look tiny,” Louis mumbled, sounding a bit disgruntled, and Harry bent his knees so that he was on a level with Louis. Louis let out a laugh, his lips turning up in a smile and his blue eyes sparkling. Harry chuckled too and they both just kind of stood there, now in a comfortable silence. Their mothers were still chatting away, and all the girls were talking to the ladies behind the counter, telling them what they wanted. Finally, Anne and Jay turned to see their sons standing together waiting, and both of them shared what was supposed to be a secret smile, Harry thought, but it wasn’t quite secret enough.

            “Harry, how lovely to see you again. My, you've grown, love,” Jay said, coming over to give Harry a hug. Anne did the same for Louis, but now the little girls, twins, unless Harry was mistaken, were tugging on their mother's skirt, anxious to leave. Jay gave Anne an apologetic smile and began to herd the girls away. Unlike at the studio, Louis looked back this time, giving Harry a small smile and a wave. Harry returned the favor and he and Anne stood there, watching the Tomlinson family walk away.

            “Well ... Louis has certainly become quite … attractive, hasn’t he?” Anne said, and Harry could hear the smirk in her voice. Harry groaned.

            “Don't start, Mum. Let's go … we've got baking to do and a kitchen to ruin.”

 

~

 

            Harry made it to the studio early the next day, wanting to warm up himself before Lottie came in. He put his bag down, pulled off his jeans and coat, and sat on the floor, just doing some basic stretches. Since starting to dance, he had perfected his split, and he had forever wanted to be able to do a full split jump if he was ever asked to do the Candy Cane dance again.

            He finished stretching and pulled a bar out, getting his leg up on it and stretching some more. He then figured it would be a good idea to run through his solo dance once or twice, just to make sure he was doing all of it in correct technique, so he moved the bar and went right into it.

            He was just finishing up his final run of his dance when there was a knock on the door and he looked round. Lottie was standing there, smiling and ready to practice, and Louis stood hovering behind her. He looked a bit dumbstruck, if Harry was being honest, and he wasn’t taking his eyes off Harry. It was a bit unnerving.

            “Hello, Lottie! Was just running through my dance a few times. You can get set up and stretch and I'll be right back. Going to grab a drink of water.”

            Lottie came in eagerly, putting her bag down next to Harry's and pulled off her coat and skirt, starting to stretch. Harry walked towards the door where Louis was still standing, stopping in front of him.

            “You … but I … wow, you're an amazing dancer.” Louis choked out, his face red and his mouth still gaping a bit. Harry blushed and bowed his head.

            “Thanks, Lou. Umm … could I get by you? I'm kinda thirsty.”

            “Oh … Oh, right … yeah, sure,” Louis stuttered, moving quickly out of the way. Harry passed him and then realization hit him. He was standing right in front of Louis - in fucking tights. This had never been an issue before; he was very comfortable with his body and with being in tights, since he spent most of his time around other dancers, who didn't care about that sort of thing. But the mere thought of Louis seeing him … _exposed_ in that way, had his stomach in knots and his heart racing. He gulped down some water, hoping that that would calm him down, and then walked back past Louis and into the studio, stretching his arms above his head. He had to keep his mind clear of, well, whatever the fuck was going through it right now.

            “Alright, Lottie. Let’s just run the dance and see how it goes, and then I can give you some pointers, yeah?”

 

            By the time an hour was up, Lottie had her dance down to perfection and Harry was smiling to himself. It always made him feel good when he managed to help someone else understand dance. It felt like he was giving someone a wonderful gift. He sent Lottie off out the back door that lead to the theatre and picked up his stuff. He felt a hand on his shoulder and he flinched, having completely forgotten that Louis was still there, watching him the whole time. That tended to happen when he danced - the whole world around him simply vanished, and it was just him and the moves.

            “I'm sorry about what I told you when we were kids. You … You just proved me wrong, and I was a fucking prick to tell you that boys couldn't dance. I have never in my life seen someone dance as well as you do.”

            Harry stood up, his bag over his shoulder, and looked down at Louis, who was fiddling with his coat sleeve, looking at the floor. Harry thought about saying something snarky back, but Louis looked so embarrassed and ashamed that he couldn’t bring himself to do it.

            “Hey, we were kids. We all had different impressions on what life was supposed to be. Yours was just different than mine. Nothing to be ashamed of. People change, yeah?”

            “Yeah … people change,” Louis mumbled, and Harry swallowed hard. Louis’ cheekbones, which were high and very chiseled, were tinged with pink, and his eyes were a bluish-green, matching the shirt he had on. It took all that Harry had not to kiss him on the spot, his stomach churning at the mere thought. What the hell was he thinking? He did _not_ want to kiss Louis. That was … nope, he definitely didn't want that. His lips were very pink, though …

            “Umm, yeah. Well, I had better go … don't want to be late. You could come watch, if you wanted. I think you'd like it. You don't have to though,” Harry rambled, half hoping Louis would say no so that he didn't keep getting distracted by how beautiful Louis was. Fuck, he needed to concentrate …

            “Yeah, sure, I'll watch. Got nothing else to do,” Louis said in a low voice, and he followed Harry, who lead him down the back stairs and into the theatre, where dancers were buzzing about, talking as they pulled things out of their bags and munched on snacks. Harry felt his stomach growl, remembering that he hadn't packed anything to eat, but he didn't have time now.

            “Alright, everyone, places! Let's get started with the party scene. I want to be able to get the children out of here so that they aren't up half the night, so let's do the Children's March.”

            Harry hurried up to the stage, dropping his bag on the floor near the first row of seats. Harry always played an extra in the Party scene, usually as the teenage boy, and normally they went right from the Children's March to Teens.

            The music started up and the kids assembled, walking forward three steps and giving a perfect in sync _pique_. Lottie was easily the oldest member of the march, but her dance was absolutely perfect, and Harry had to contain a smile of pride. He scanned the audience as he waited, spotting Louis about six rows back, his eyes following his sister as the children paraded around the stage. Harry shook himself, tearing his eyes away from Louis' sharp side profile, and coughed, just as the children finished their dance. Anna looked floored, and she came onto the stage as the children relaxed from their frozen position, looking at her eagerly.

            “That was … wow, you did amazing. Perfect, even! Go grab some water, or food, and we will call you back up when we run Party, alright?”

            The kids cheered and hurried off stage, and Anna turned to Harry. “What did you do to them?” She asked in an undertone, and Harry shrugged.

            “Just gave them a few pointers is all.”

            “Right … well, then let's run yours and Melanie's dance from Act 2.”

            Harry moved to the back corner of the stage with Melanie, one of his good friends, who was dancing the part of the Sugar Plum Fairy. She nodded at him and muttered something about practicing the lift later, and Harry acknowledged her, and then they were off, covering the whole stage with their dance. Harry was once again lost in the music, in the moves, in just everything dance, and he couldn't imagine being anywhere else but here on this stage.

            They finished their dance with a flourish and Anna beamed with pride. Harry brought Melanie back up from her leaned position in his arms and she rolled her ankles a few times, stretching them.

            “That was beautiful. We will do the solo dances in a minute. Take five.”

            Harry turned to Melanie and smiled kindly. “If you roll them in the opposite direction, it will feel better.”

            “How do you know? You've never danced pointe before, have you?” She asked, and Harry blushed slightly, nodding.

            “I danced pointe a few years ago - wasn't exactly my best work, but I'd like to say I did all the boys justice when I performed. Not many guys can dance pointe, or even bother trying. They say it's for girls. But you know, if you want to do something, always go for it, even if someone tells you no., right?”

            Melanie looked surprised but nodded, a smile starting on her face as she walked towards the edge of the stage to sit down.

 

            The rest of practice went by without a hitch, and by the end of it, Anna was in a fantastic mood.

            “At this rate, we will put on an absolutely perfect performance Friday. Thank you for all your hard work, I will see you all tomorrow. Great work, everyone!”

            There was the usual bustle of dancers moving to get their things and clean up the stage, and Harry jumped from the stage to the floor, landing gracefully. He picked up his bag, pulling his clothes from it and tugging them on. He was sure that he felt Louis' eyes on him, and his face heated up immediately. He looked up and, sure enough, Louis was watching him. He looked away quickly, but it was too late – Louis had caught his eye. Before he could even consider what he was doing, he picked up his bag and walked over to Louis. Maybe if he could just act like his brain wasn’t arguing with itself, he could have a proper conversation with this gorgeous man.

            “What did you think? Did we do alright?”

            Louis nodded, seemingly incapable of saying anything at all.

            “Harry, thanks for helping me on that dance. I really think I have it now,” Lottie said as she joined the two of them, her bag over her shoulder and her coat half buttoned.

            “Of course, anything to help.” Harry offered kindly, and Lottie blushed.

            “I'll go wait in the car, shall I?” she said, sneaking the keys from Louis and sprinting for the door. Louis sighed and then looked back at Harry.

            “She's very taken with you, I hope you know that.” He smirked as he watched his sister sprint out the door. Harry spluttered, his face reddening as Louis chuckled at him.

            “That won’t … I … I'm not … I don't swing that way,” Harry blurted out before even considering what he was telling Louis. Louis' eyes went wide, and he cleared his throat before asking.

            “Wait … you're gay?”

            Harry, not thinking that Louis would be so direct, nodded, knowing it was too late to go back on his statement. It wasn't like it was a huge secret … most of the dancers knew, and his mum of course. But admitting it to Louis, especially when he thought he might be having feelings or something for Louis, was daunting. “Yeah, I am. Guess it comes with the territory of being a male dancer … suppose that was why you never wanted to dance in the first place …” Harry mumbled, and Louis flushed. He'd had that suspicion for a long time, ever since he learned that he was gay, and that most of the male dancers, at least here, were as well.

            “I … I never meant to offend you, I just … fuck.” Louis rubbed the back of his neck, looking ashamed. “I never meant it in that way. That would be a bit hypocritical of me, don't you think?”

            Harry felt all the color drain out of his face as Louis grinned sheepishly. Not that Harry minded Louis coming out to him, but why the fuck were they having this conversation in the middle of the theatre after only 36 hours of being sort of friends again?

            “You … you too?” Harry stuttered, and Louis nodded.

            “Yeah … just figured it out last year, actually. Umm, not sure why I told you, but … yeah.” Louis seemed a bit embarrassed, and Harry couldn’t stand to see him uncomfortable. He just couldn't stand Louis having that look on his face.

            “Don't be ashamed of who you are. As long as you’re happy with yourself, that's all that matters. And I’m not going to judge you … being different is hard, but there are always people out there who thrive on different, and you should be proud to be one of them, okay?”

            Louis looked taken aback, and Harry realized that that was the most he’d had ever said to him in one sitting.

            “Sorry … I ramble a lot …” Harry mumbled, and Louis actually smiled, putting a hand on his arm. Harry felt his skin tingle where Louis’ fingers touched.

            “That's okay. C'mon, we had better get going. I've got Lottie and I'm sure your mum has something planned for you.”

            “She always does … hey, thanks for watching us. It's good for the kids to have an audience, even if it's only one person. Sometimes they get scared when they see people, but I think you gave them confidence. I haven't seen them dance like that, ever.”

            “Was nothing … you were amazing. I … I mean, you all were amazing.” Louis was bright red now, and Harry could feel his cheeks heating up as well.

            “You could come watch tomorrow, too … if you wanted.”

            Louis nodded, a smile making its way to his face. “I think I will. See ya, Harry.”

            “Bye, Lou.”

            Harry watched him walk away, feeling an immense swelling in his heart. His whole body felt fuzzy and a dopey smile was plastered on his face. He shook himself out of it, shaking his head as he walked down the street to his car. As hard as Harry was trying not to, he was falling for Louis Tomlinson.

 

            True to his word, Louis was at practice for the next two days, watching them go through every scene of the Nutcracker time and time again. And every day after practice, Louis and Harry would talk while Louis was waiting for Lottie. Harry was surprised at how little he truly knew about Louis, but he definitely learned a lot. As it turned out, since Louis now had several sisters (and one brother), he had become a lot more open to many things that, before, he would have considered 'girly', dancing being a big one. He had actually volunteered to pick Lottie up that day, just because he wanted to see what it was all about, and now he was almost into it, really studying the moves of the dancers as he watched. Sometimes Harry caught him watching with an almost wistful look on his face, and it always planted thoughts in Harry’s mind that, if he was being honest, he shouldn’t be thinking.

            Anna was so happy to have Louis there, and she even took time to introduce him to all the kids. They absolutely loved him, and they always danced at their best when he was watching. According to Ellie, “we want to impress him because Hazzy likes him”, something which made Harry blush furiously. If Harry had looked at Louis when Ellie said this, though, he would have seen that Louis was blushing as well, smiling bashfully in a way that only he could make look beautiful.

            Harry and Louis became best friends. It was almost as if they were meant to meet again, because they just clicked. In only two days, they learned basically everything about each other, like they had been best friends their whole lives. They even had this strange thing between them … it was like they couldn't keep their hands off each other. They were always standing close, fiddling with the other's hair, hugging, all of that. None of the dancers found it weird, considering that Harry wasn't the most inconspicuous person when it came to his feelings. Everyone knew how he felt about Louis … except Louis. Even Lottie knew, and although she seemed a bit disappointed, she was all about it, always giving Harry side glances when he got caught up looking at Louis during rehearsal.

            “He's completely smitten with you, you know that, don't you?” Lottie said to him Wednesday after their dress rehearsal, and Harry looked down so she wouldn't see him smile.

            “I don't think so, Lottie. It's just a stupid crush …”

            Lottie looked ready to say more, but at that moment, Louis appeared backstage, grinning widely and hurrying over to Harry, hugging him around the middle. “You were so good up there, love,” Louis mumbled, his voice muffled against Harry’s chest. Harry giggled at the vibrations and hugged Louis back, feeling his heart race a little.

            “Thanks, Lou. Was nothing … just dancing as usual, you know …” Harry muttered bashfully, pulling the hair tie out of his hair and letting his curls tumble down to his shoulders. Louis immediately found his favorite curl and tugged on it, letting it bounce back. Harry leaned his cheek into Louis' hand and closed his eyes, a smile creeping across his face.

            “Well, we should get going,” Lottie's voice broke the moment, and Harry moved away from Louis a little bit, biting his lip and trying not to blush for the tenth time that day.

            “Harry, you should come over! We could invite your mum and have a proper dinner and all. To celebrate, you know. And you could stay over, if you wanted.” Louis said the last part a bit apprehensively, as though he expected Harry to refuse, but Harry couldn't have even if he’d wanted to. Spending the night with Louis? That sounded perfect. It didn't matter that they were practically adults, Harry was a kid at heart. He nodded happily and Louis grinned.

            “I'll meet you there … gotta call my mum and get my car … see you soon, Lou, Lottie.”

            Harry hurried out of the theatre and into the hallway, grinning from ear to ear as he pulled out his phone to call his mum. This was going to be a good night.

            “Harry, I need to speak with you, please!” Anna's voice rang out through the hall, and Harry skidded to a halt, turning and smiling. Anna rolled her eyes at the look on Harry’s face.

            “Whatever the Tomlinson boy did this time, it isn't as amazing as what I'm about to tell you. I've just received word that some scouts from the New York Ballet Company are coming to see our show … and they are very interested in you.”

            Every thought of Louis was washed clean from Harry's mind as his jaw dropped. Had he heard her correctly?

            “The … the New York Ballet Company, like, New York City … in the States?” He stuttered, not even daring to believe it. Anna nodded excitedly.

            “Yes, that's the one. They saw the video on my website of you dancing in last year's Nutcracker, and they were immediately interested. You might be dancing the lead role in the most well-known ballet for the most well renowned balled company in the world!”

            Harry just stood there, trying to take in that information. He was being recruited for the _New York Ballet Company_? He couldn't even believe it. He had never had stage fright or fear of dancing for crowds, but his stomach was now churning uncomfortably. This was huge.

            “I … I don't know what to say…”

            “I've corresponded with them already, and I have informed them of the role you will be playing, as well as your involvement in teaching parts of the ballet to the other students. They are very eager to see what we put on. I just thought I'd inform you now. Have a wonderful night, Harry.”

            Anne walked off with a spring in her step, but Harry stayed standing in the middle of the hallway, still in shock. After several minutes, he convinced himself to move, and he walked slowly to his car, getting in and pulling out his phone to call his mum. He kept his voice even, but inside, he was freaking out. He just needed to calm down … he needed Louis. At the thought of Louis, he felt his heart start to slow – though not much, as the thought of Louis also made him excited and nervous in … other ways – and he started the car, driving towards the address that Louis had given him.

 

            Dinner was nice; Harry got to meet Louis' whole family officially, and all of the girls took to him immediately. Harry, however, had a preference for Louis' little brother, Ernest. He was the most adorable little boy in the world, and his blonde hair had little curls at the ends, the only one in the family other than his twin sister, to get curls. Louis and Harry had a wonderful time playing with Ernest in front of the Christmas tree, just laughing and catching each other's eye now and then, always looking away after starting a bit too long.

            It was late when Anne left, and it was then that Harry remembered his conversation with Anna only a few hours ago. He felt the nerves return almost at once, but tried to ignore it as best he could as he hugged his mum goodbye.

            “Don't forget … safe sex is the best sex,” Anne whispered into her son's ear, and Harry turned bright red, stumbling over his words of protest. Anne just winked at him and hugged Jay goodbye. Louis tugged on Harry's wrist to get his attention.

            “Wanna go up to my room? It can get a bit loud with all the kids in here.”

            Harry nodded, and without thinking about it, slipped his hand into Louis', allowing him to lead him up the stairs. Harry's grip on Louis' hand did not loosen when they reached his room, and Louis didn't seem eager to let him go either. Louis showed Harry around and then they sat down on the bed, turning Louis' telly on and looking for a movie to watch on Netflix. Louis finally settled on _The Polar Express_ , and though it wasn’t Harry’s favorite, it was for Louis, so he was fine with it.

They both settled back against Louis' pillows, blankets thrown over both of them, and Louis tucked himself under Harry's arm, snuggling against his chest. Harry really hoped that Louis couldn't hear how fast his heart was pounding.

            It was about halfway through the movie that Harry seriously felt likehe was going to be sick. As hard as he was trying to focus on the movie and on Louis' hand, which had been playing with his fingers for the past ten minutes, he couldn't stop thinking about the scouts that were coming in less than 48 hours to see him.

            “Harry, what's wrong?” Louis asked abruptly, pausing the movie and looking up at Harry in concern.

            “It's nothing, Lou, really,” Harry tried to say, but his voice came out choked, and Louis sat up straight, turning to look at Harry directly.

            “Harry, you're shaking, and you look really pale … you can talk to me, you know that.”

            Harry closed his eyes, taking a deep breath, and then opened them again, looking into Louis' beautiful blue eyes.

            “I'm being scouted on Friday for the New York Ballet Company … they want me to be in their production of the Nutcracker.”

            Louis' face lit up like a Christmas tree. “But that's great news! You're so talented, they would be lucky to have you. Do … do you not want that?”

            “Of course I want it! My goal has always been to be the best dancer I could be, and this is a big opportunity. But I … I'm so scared, Lou. W-what if I fuck it up?” Tears welled up in Harry's eyes as he realized just how terrified he was of this. Louis immediately wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a hug, running his fingers through his hair.

            “Hey, hey, don't be scared, Hazza … shhh, you're okay …” Louis soothed as Harry tried to swallow past the lump in his throat.

            “I … I just don't want to mess it up … one wrong move and I-” Harry said his voice breaking slightly, and Louis cupped his face in his hands, wiping a few stray tears away.

            “You, Harry Styles, are not going to mess it up. You could dance absolutely horribly and they would still want you. You'll do just fine, and I'll be right there in the audience, cheering you on.”

            Harry smiled weakly at that and turned his head to bury it in Louis' shoulder, seeking his comfort. God, he wanted to kiss Louis really bad right now … but he couldn't do that. He didn't need to have his heart broken by this beautiful boy one day before the biggest performance of his life.

            “Why don't we finish the movie and we can sleep, yeah? I think you'll feel better if you get some sleep.” Louis made Harry look up at him and Harry just nodded, holding himself back with all he had. Louis' lips just looked so kissable … fuck, he needed to get ahold of his feelings.

Louis smiled and started the movie back up, letting Harry curl up under his arm this time. Harry could feel himself getting sleepy and he wrapped his arms around Louis' waist, pulling him closer and laying his head on Louis' chest. Louis' hand was still stroking slowly through Harry's hair, making Harry even more tired. He wasn't sure exactly when he dropped off to sleep, but right before his eyes closed, he felt a gentle pair of lips on his forehead.

 

            After their final full dress rehearsal the next night, Anna sat the whole cast down on the stage and invited Harry to stand up next to her. She then proceeded to announce to the whole cast what would be happening the following evening.

            “As you all know, Harry is one of our most talented dancers, and has always been a great asset to this school.” Everyone nodded and there was even a smattering of applause. Anna motioned for quiet. “Well, I should let you know that there are scouts coming from New York in the US, and they are very interested in possibly recruiting Harry for their ballet company.”

            Muttering broke out among the dancers, and Lottie looked absolutely devastated. Harry bit his lip and glanced to the backstage area, where Louis was standing. Louis gave him the thumbs up and he swallowed, giving a small nod.

            “Now, that doesn't mean that Harry will choose to join them, but if he does, tomorrow will be his last performance with the Holmes Chapel Ballet Company, and I thought it best to inform you all of this.”

            No one said a word, but Harry could see several sets of eyes that were glazed over, and little Ellie was in tears, being comforted by one of the older male dancers. Harry tried for a smile and cleared his throat.

            “Even if I do get offered a position there, you guys will always be family to me. So let's just put on the best show we possibly can and have fun, yeah?”

            Now everyone applauded, and Harry sat back down for final notes. His hands were twisting in his lap as the nerves crashed over him in waves, but he pushed them down. He had to appear as though nothing was wrong. If he was openly nervous, it would worry the other dancers, and they would be more focused on him than the performance. He couldn't allow that.

            There was the usual bustle as the dancers rose to their feet - Anna must have dismissed them. Harry stood only to have his legs attacked by a little one. He looked down to see the tear-stained face of Ellie as she looked up at him with big brown eyes.

            “Don't leave, Hazzy. I don't want you to go … ” She blubbered, and Harry picked her up, holding her in his arms and kissing her cheek.

            “Ellie, I'm not going anywhere.”

            “Promise?” She sniffed, wiping her eyes with her fists. Harry hesitated, not wanting to lie to her, but also not wanting to lie to himself. He wasn't even sure if he would accept if the position was offered to him. He had so much to offer right here, and Holmes Chapel was his home, it always had been. He had friends, family, everyone he knew and loved was here. Could he really give all of that up and move halfway across the world?

            “I promise you I'll be here for a bit more, okay, love?” Harry settled on that statement, and she must have taken it to heart, because she smiled and placed a sloppy kiss on his cheek. Harry grinned, his dimple popping out, and he looked over at Louis. Louis was watching him with a very strange expression on his face … almost … _fond_ , in a way. Harry put Ellie down and walked over to Louis, who automatically picked up Harry's fidgeting hand, playing with his fingers to calm him down.

            “You did good out there, Haz. She seems really attached to you.”

            “Yeah … her mum needed a babysitter a while back, and I needed the money. I've been watching her since she was in diapers.” Harry said, swallowing hard. Everyone was looking at him, either wishing him congratulations or wiping away tears that they didn't want him to see.

            “Don't let them decide for you, Harry. If you get offered the spot, it's up to you if you take it or not. Just remember that.” Louis said softly, pressing himself closer to Harry, and Harry smiled, wrapping an arm around Louis.

            Lottie came out, her cheeks blotchy, and she refused to even look at Harry, muttering to Louis that she wanted to go home. Harry tried to speak to her, but she turned away from him and walked towards the back door, not looking back.

            “I'll talk to her … I think it was just a shock. You'd better answer that, by the way,” Louis pointed at Harry's pocket, where the light from his phone was shining through. Harry gave Louis a quick, one-armed hug and turned away to answer the phone.

            “Hullo?”

“Gemma's plane is landing in a few hours … I was thinking we could go pick her up and surprise her?” His mum sounded very excited, and he was again reminded that he hadn't told her about the New York thing yet. He resolved to tell her in the car, and said that he would love to come. He hurried out to his car and drove home, meeting his mum in the driveway and climbing into the front seat right away. The excitement covered his nerves for the time being, and that was all he could have hoped for.

 

            “Harry! Mum!” Gemma's voice rang through the crowd and she shoved her way through, throwing herself into their arms. Harry hadn't seen his sister in almost a year; she was studying abroad in America.

            “Hey, Gems. Missed you,” Harry said, pulling Gemma into his arms and hugging her tightly.

            “Did you just come from practice? You're still wearing your make-up, and your tights …” Gemma poked at the waistband of his pants, where his tights were sticking out of the top, and Harry giggled.      

            “Shut up, Gems...it's not like I don't dance every day … I didn't have time to change or take it off!”

            “Oh, I don't mind. You look like a right idiot when you're not on stage, but you’re my brother, so I suppose I have to love you, right?”

            Harry kissed her cheek and let Gemma and his mum hug it out. Gemma mentioning dancing had reminded him about the scouts, and now his nerves were starting to return, almost worse than before. He managed to make it to the car before it all came spilling out in one big rush, Harry unable to hold it back any longer. Both his mum and Gemma were happy for him, and they told him exactly what Louis had said, that it was his choice and he should do what makes him happy. But that wasn't what Harry wanted. He wanted someone to tell him what to choose, what to decide, because he was completely torn.

            “Does Louis know?” Anne asked, and Gemma whipped around so fast, Harry was surprised that she didn't break her neck.

            “Louis? As in Louis Tomlinson? The kid who told you that you couldn't be a dancer?” She demanded, and Harry nodded, blushing.

            “Harry has a bit of a thing for him,” Anne said, and Harry turned even more red, opening his mouth to protest. “Don't even bother, Harry, I know. Everyone knows.”

            “Everyone except for him …” Harry mumbled, hoping that no one would hear him.

            “He'll realize soon enough. Now … did you tell him?”

            “Yeah … he was the first person I told. I just needed to tell someone, and I had hoped that he would help me, but he just said the same thing as you guys, to do what is right for me. But what if I don't know what that is?”

            “Don't you worry, Harry. You'll decide the right thing. And Louis will get his act together, I'm sure.” Gemma assured him with a warm smile, and Harry couldn't do anything other than smile back.

 

            Harry paced back and forth in his dressing room, straightening his jacket and fiddling with his Nutcracker head. He couldn't calm down, no matter how hard he tried. He normally did yoga before performances, but even that hadn't helped. He just couldn't get his mind off of the fact that there were people out there from fucking New York who had come for the sole purpose of seeing him dance.

            There was a knock on his door and he mumbled a response, the door creaking open a moment later. Louis poked his head inside, looking very nice in a buttoned shirt and tie, his classic skinny jeans paired with suede shoes instead of his usual vans. But even Louis looking that good couldn't distract Harry from his nerves.

            “You doing alright?” Louis asked, and Harry shook his head, afraid that if he opened his mouth, he would throw up. Louis walked over and stopped Harry’s pacing, hands on his waist to keep him steady. “You are going to do fantastic. Don't be scared … just dance your heart out.”

            “Lou …” Harry started, but Louis put a finger on his lips to shush him.

            “Listen to me. You are going to do amazing. Who cares if those scouts like you or not? I mean, I don't know why they wouldn't, but remember why you're here. You're here because you love dancing. You're here because you didn't listen to some stupid comment years ago, but instead chased your dreams. You're here for you, not for anyone else, and there is absolutely nothing to be afraid of. For fuck's sake, you're the Nutcracker Prince. You beat mice with your sword and turn from toy to human all in one night. Now if that's not great and heroic work, I don't know what is.”

            Harry chuckled, his hand grabbing Louis’ and threading their fingers together. Louis' cheeks flared pink, but he kept speaking.

            “You're gonna kick some ass out there, because you're Harry fucking Styles and that's what you're meant to do. I believe in you, okay?”

            Louis' eyes were staring right into Harry's, and Harry was frozen to the spot. Was it just him, or was Louis moving closer? Fuck, he was … what was he supposed to do?

            There was a sudden knock on the door and Louis jumped, pulling away from Harry quickly and blushing, looking at the floor.

            “Come in,” Harry said, slightly disappointed, and Anna made her way in.

            “Starting in ten … Louis, you better get back out to your seat. I need to talk to Harry, anyway.”

            Louis nodded, giving Harry's hand a squeeze before walking out quickly. Anna turned to Harry and smiled.

            “You ready?”

            Harry nodded, still feeling a little nervous, but not so much after Louis' little speech. “Yeah, I think so. Is it …”

            “Full house. Everyone wants to see this one … I think you've really done something special with these kids. I haven't had an entire cast this excited since I started putting on this ballet. You really do have the magic touch.”

            “I just told them to do their best and to enjoy what they do. That's all I've ever wanted to do, you know. Make people happy and enjoy what I do.”

            “I know that. And you're going to do amazing when you go to New York.”

            “You mean if …”

            “Harry Styles, they would be absolute fools not to take you in. And although I'll miss you, I'll make sure I'm there to see you perform every single time.”

            Harry blushed furiously and bit his lip. “Thanks, Anna.”

            “You're quite welcome. Now … let's get out there and do this.”

            She left and Harry put his Nutcracker head down, straightening his jacket and taking a deep breath. This was it. He could do this. He opened the door to his dressing room and walked to the backstage area, standing next to the children. Lottie came up next to him and nudged him, and he looked down almost warily.

            “I'm sorry about before. I just … you're such an inspiration … you made me want to start dancing. I don't want you to go, but if you do, I'm behind you 100%. Let's kick ass.”

            “Lottie, language …” Harry reprimanded, but he was smiling. The noise died down as the lights went down, and Harry could hear Anna speaking to the crowd. He looked around at everyone else and they all looked ready to go, nervous smiles on every waiting face. Harry lead them all to the edge of the curtains and breathed again, walking into the light as the curtains parted.

 

            The first act went perfectly, no hitches, perfect moves by everyone, and the snow dump was perfect at the end of the act. Everyone was in a very good mood backstage, and Harry was in his dressing room again, changing into his final costume.

            There was a sudden commotion and a yell, followed by a lot of gasps, and Harry just felt in his gut that something was seriously wrong. He ran out into the hallway and saw Melanie sprawled at the bottom of the stairs, clutching her ankle, her face twisted in pain. Horror filled him, and he ran to her, kneeling down and inspecting her foot at once. It was swollen, and Harry could almost see the bone poking out at an odd angle.

            “Fuck, shit, hell, damn, fucking …” Melanie was muttering under her breath, and then Anna was right there, her face panic-stricken.

            “She needs a hospital …” Harry said, and Melanie shook her head furiously, but Harry gave her a look and she stopped. “It's broken, Mel, you can't dance on that.”

            “I'm sorry, I'm so sorry …” Melanie whispered under her breath, and Anna waved it down, helping her up and already getting on the phone with the ambulance.

            “What happened?” Louis was right there, having come in through the back to see what all the noise was about, and Harry stood up, his hands shaking.

            “Mel … she fell, broke her ankle. She was supposed to dance the Sugar Plum Fairy in the second act …” Harry said in a very quiet voice. Everything had been going perfectly … he should have seen this coming.

            “Isn't there an understudy or something?” Louis asked, rubbing Harry's arm to keep him calm, but before Harry could say anything, Anna was back, pulling at her hair with nerves.

            “No. We didn't assign one because we don't have enough dancers. We never expected something like this to happen …”

            “Well there must be something we can do. We can't just stop the show,” Louis insisted, but Anna shook her head.

            “No one knows the dance well enough to dance it, and we only have fifteen minutes until the second act is due to begin. I'll just have to go out and tell them - ”

            “Wait! Don't!” Lottie came pushing through the crowd of nervous dancers, her hair flying. “Harry can do it.”

            “I can do what?” Harry said, completely taken aback. What the fuck was she talking about?

            “The dance! I heard you talking to Melanie that day. You said you've danced pointe before, and you know this ballet better than anyone. I'm sure you could do it!”

            “Even if he did that, there's no understudy for the Prince either. We'll just have to cancel, there's nothing more to be …”

            “NO! Louis can dance it.” Lottie said, and everyone turned to stare at Louis, who was looking utterly terrified.

            “Umm … I can?” He said, sounding very unsure.

            “She has a point … you've been here all week, you've been watching Harry dance it … you _could_ do it.” Anna said, looking hopefully at Louis. Louis shook his head, backing up, but Harry lunged forward and grabbed his hands, pulling him back.

            “Lou, do you really know the dance?”

            “I … I mean, yeah, I've watched you do it enough that I kinda memorized it, but I haven't ever danced in my …”

            “Bullshit,” Lottie chimed in. “You’ve been having me show you moves for weeks.”

            Harry felt his eyes go wide and he looked back at Louis. Louis was pressing his lips together, a clear indication that Lottie wasn’t lying. If this could work …

            “Lou, please. They’re out there, and I can't perform both parts at the same time. We need both of those parts …”

            “Louis, _please_ …” Lottie pleaded, and Louis looked from his sister to Harry and then to Anna, who was standing there, ringing her hands. He sighed, biting his lip.

            “I … I guess I could try …”

            “Excellent. Harry, get him in costume, and I'll bring you Melanie's costume. You have your pointe shoes?”           

            Harry nodded, and everyone went off to their dressing rooms again, Harry dragging Louis with him. Harry's entire body was shaking as he locked the door to his dressing room, and he fell into a chair, his head in his hands.

            “Harry, it's going to be just fine … don't do that, you'll mess up your make-up.” Louis moved Harry's hands gently away from his face and held his cheeks in his own hands, making Harry look up at him.

            “Lou, I haven't danced pointe in five years. I don't think I can do it …”

Harry was at his breaking point. His entire body was shaking, and he felt like he was about to pass out any minute. Louis was looking at him, his blue eyes boring into Harry’s, and all Harry could think about was kissing him.

            It took him a good three seconds to realize what was happening, and then his eyes popped open. He hadn't even realized that they had closed, but then again, he hadn't been expecting what was happening. Louis' lips were on his, moving slowly … Louis was kissing him. His lips were soft, gentle but persistent, and Harry's entire body had gone limp at their touch. His eyes fluttered shut again as he began to kiss him back, and Louis let out a small noise of content into his mouth.

            Louis pulled back and looked at Harry, his eyes blown and his cheeks pink, but a smile firmly intact on his face. “You're alright.”

            “L-Louis … what -” Harry was completely dumbfounded, not sure what to say. All he knew was that he wanted to kiss him again.

            “If I didn't make it obvious before, I think I might like you just a bit too much for my own good. We had better get dressed. You still have to do my make up, and I need to get your hair into a bun.”

            Harry mouthed like a fish for a few seconds more before standing, stripping off his jacket and shirt all in one. Louis coughed, blushing at Harry's naked chest, but started taking off his own clothes. Harry respectfully looked away, but inside, he was burning, both from the kiss and the knowledge that Louis was about to be basically naked in front of him. This was a lot for one night.

            Harry tossed Louis the costume and Louis stripped down to his boxers before turning around to strip down completely and put on underwear that would not show under the tights. Harry, meanwhile, pulled off his white tights and pulled pink ones and a pair of pointe shoes from his bag. He tugged the tights on and slipped his feet into the pointe shoes, wrapping the ribbons carefully around his ankles. At that moment, Anna came in with the costume, which was a purple tutu and strapless leotard. Harry swallowed hard and, praying that it fit, pulled it on and turning to face Louis. He had to hold back a gasp, because Louis looked amazing. Even if the prince costume was a bit big on him (it was tailored for Harry, but that was beside the point), he made it work.

            “Okay, Harry, get make-up on him and then we will have just enough time to practice the lift a few times.”

            Louis went pale but didn't say a word as Anna hurried out to inform the other dancers of what was happening. Louis sat down and Harry went to work, neither of them saying a word until Louis had on basic make-up.

            “Okay, my turn.” Louis said quietly, and he stood on his tip toes, gathering Harry's curls into a small bun and putting it up. He gathered some gel in his hands and smoothed back Harry's hair so it wouldn't fall out, and then he spun Harry around to face him.

            “You look gorgeous, Hazza. So perfect.”

            Harry simply leaned down and pressed his lips lightly to Louis', making Louis gasp.

            “Sorry … just needed that. Let's go.”

            They hurried into the hallway where Anna was waiting, and they went to work.

 

            Twenty minutes later, they were waiting in the wings to do their combined dance, Harry absolutely trembling in his tutu and rolling his ankles back and forth to prepare to dance pointe. Louis placed a gentle hand on his back and Harry relaxed at once, leaning into Louis' touch.

            “We've got this...” Louis whispered in Harry's ear, and Harry nodded as the music ended for the section before them. They both took a deep breath and Louis' hand settled around Harry's waist. With a flourish of music, they were off. Both of them glided across the stage without a hitch, moving seamlessly together as though they had been doing this their whole lives. Harry couldn't tell if anyone noticed that he wasn't a female, but that wasn't really a concern of his at the moment. Both of them pushed through the dances easily, and then they reached that moment … 16 counts till the lift. Harry spun three times and Louis held his waist to steady him. Only eight counts now. Louis' hands tightened on Harry's waist, and Harry bent his legs, propelling himself up as Louis pushed up as well … and the landing was perfect. Harry perched on Louis' shoulder, and the crowd went absolutely wild. Harry kept up his smile as Louis let him down and lead him off the stage. Anna was practically in cardiac arrest, holding onto her chest with tears in her eyes. Louis and Harry didn't have time to check on her, though, because Louis was back on, doing the prince's solo part. Harry watched with pride as Louis went swiftly through his moves, looking like a well-trained dancer and not someone off the streets who had never even put on a ballet shoe before. Plus, his bum looked fantastic in tights, if Harry was being honest.

            Louis held out his arms and Harry went back to the stage as the finale began, and it was all a whirl of tutus and flowers and lights and music. The next lift went even more perfectly than the first, and Harry looked up to the balcony, his smile bigger than it had ever been, as the lights went down. Louis put him down on the floor and they hurried off the stage as the final bow began. All of the others went out and then Louis lead Harry back to the stage, both of them smiling like idiots. They bowed, and then little Ellie came running onto the stage, flowers in her arms. She presented them to Harry with a beaming smile and Harry knelt down, kissing her forehead gently. He then took a single rose and presented it to Louis, who blushed and accepted it. As they walked forward for their final bow, Louis stood on his tip toes and kissed his cheek, and the crowd didn't stop cheering, even as the curtains closed.

Harry turned right to Louis and pulled him into a tight hug, tears in his eyes. Louis held him tightly, rubbing his back and soothing him. Harry wasn't even sure why he was crying, whether it was from all the nerves that he had been holding back or relief or the fact that this might be his last performance with his home town ballet company.

            “Harry that was absolutely spectacular, holy shit,” Anna yelled, pounding him on the back, and Harry just looked down bashfully as praise came from all sides.

            “Harry!” Suddenly, Harry was hit by two bodies, and he hugged the life out of his mother and sister, both of whom were almost jumping up and down in excitement.

            “I was so confused at first, and then when Louis didn't come back to his seat, we thought the worst, but that was the most amazing thing I've ever seen! You two moved like a team, it was mind blowing,” Gemma babbled, and Harry felt completely overwhelmed. He was so hopped up on adrenaline that he didn't notice how much his feet were aching or how hard Louis was holding on to him.

            “Harry Styles?” said a voice, and Harry turned. Two men with iPads were walking towards him, and Harry froze. This must be them, the scouts. He took a deep breath and walked forward.

            “Umm, yeah, that's me. I'm sorry I'm not, umm, what you expected, we had a mishap and I was the only one who knew the dance and it just …”

            Harry knew he was rambling; he always rambled like an idiot when he was nervous, but they didn’t seem bothered by it.

            “Not to worry, Mr. Styles. My name is Griffin Gates and I am a recruiter for the New York Ballet Company. My partner and I would like to offer you a spot in our company, if you would like to join us. You have amazing talent, and we would love to showcase that.”

            Harry gaped at them, and then figured it was probably rude to do that, so he shut his mouth and swallowed, his mind racing. What should he say? How should he react?

            “Wait, hold on. Not just you, Mr. Styles. Your partner here is also a phenomenal dancer, and although we came for you, he deserves recognition as well. We are offering both of you spots in our company.” The second man spoke, and Louis' hand tightened on Harry's waist. Harry looked over at him and saw nothing but shock. Anna and Harry's family, and the rest of the cast were all frozen where they stood, watching what was happening in complete silence. Lottie was beaming at her brother, nodding encouragingly.

            “Umm, but I...” Louis tried to speak, but he couldn't form words. Harry placed his hand on Louis' back gently and Louis looked at him, his eyes asking a million questions. There was one, though, that stood out to Harry. “Is this what you want?”

            Harry smiled at Louis, shrugging and looking right back at him, and Louis gave a small nod, smiling back.

            “We gladly accept the positions, if you'll have us.”

            Loud cheering went up from all around and the men both smiled, handing them paperwork and telling them to call as soon as they could to set up arrangements and get all affairs in order. Then they were bombarded by all the dancers who were hugging them and crying and cheering.

            About thirty minutes later, people had started to dissipate, leaving Harry and Louis standing in the middle of the stage. They turned to each other, both of them still beaming.

            “Wow. They thought I was that good, and … it was the first time I've ever danced …”

            “Doesn't matter … they loved you, and you're a natural.”

            “Nothing compared to you, though. I don't even thing Melanie worked those pointe shoes like you do … you were perfect.”

            Harry blushed and Louis traced a thumb across his cheekbone, wiping away a tear that Harry didn't know he had shed.

            “Those tights aren't so bad on you, you know,” Harry mumbled, and Louis rolled his eyes.

            “Shut up and kiss me.”

            Harry leaned down and pressed his lips to Louis eagerly, both of them holding each other tightly.

            “Fucking finally!” Lottie's voice came from across the stage, and there were some muffled giggles from some of the other dancers. Harry smiled against Louis' lips and pulled back just enough to be able to see Louis' face.

            “So, what was that whole thing about boys not dancing?”

            “Guess I was wrong … people change, eh?”

            “Yeah, people change … ” Harry whispered, and Louis kissed him again.

           

 

 

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Please leave kudos or comments, they mean the world to me


End file.
